Parting Gifts
by purplepagoda
Summary: Someone close to them dies. He leaves them a parting gift. Will they be able to handle the responsibility, or will they walk away. One life will change theirs, forever.
1. Parting Gifts

"Pack your bags, we're going for a trip," Gibbs announces as he wonders into the squad room.

Three faces stare up at him, questioningly. He shakes his head.

"Go home, get your things together. We are going to Ohio. We've got a case, and we will be gone for a few days. I'll meet you back here in an hour. Make sure that all of you have eaten. DiNozzo go potty before we leave. It's going to be a long trip."

An hour later they return, and find Gibbs in the garage. Abby waits with him. They gather around Gibbs.

"Abby, you will be riding with McGee."

She raises her hand. "Yes Abby," he questions.

"Can I drive?"

"That is up to McGee. Go, put your stuff in the car," he motions the two of them on.

Tony, and Ziva step forward.

"What about us?"

"The two of you will be taking the other car. Make good use of your time. The two of you should discuss your plans for the rest of your lives, because they are about to change. Work out your issues, I don't care how, just do it. The two of you will be spending a lot more time together in the coming years."

"What aren't you telling us? Why are we going all the way to Ohio?"

"It's a favor, for a friend. Look, the two of you need to... I don't know what you need to do, but you have to learn to live with each other."

"Why?" Ziva wonders.

"You'll see," he smiles.

"Can we have a hint?" Tony begs.

"You will find out when we get there," Gibbs answers.

"I have a bad feeling about this," Ziva remarks.

"Get used to those," he motions them to their vehicle.

He climbs onto the rig with Ducky, and Palmer.

An hour later they finally break the silence between them. He turns off the radio. She pushes the sunglasses further back on the bridge of her nose. She watches the road. She waits for him to begin.

"Don't you think that it's weird that he hasn't told us anything about the case?"

"What do you think that he meant when he said that we are going to be spending a lot more time together? How could we spend more time together? I see you more than I see... anyone else."

"I don't know," he shrugs.

"Should we be worried?"

"I'm terrified."

"I've got your back," she reminds him.

"Somehow, I don't think that will enough this time."

"So what should we talk about?"

"Can we talk about..."

"No," she shoots him down.

"I don't like him."

"You don't know him," she argues.

"It doesn't matter. I'm sure he's not good enough."

"I don't want to hear this."

"He told us to work it out," he reminds her.

Hours later they pull into a hotel parking lot. They wait for Gibbs to check them in. He doles out room keys. One for Tony and Ziva. One for Abby, and McGee. One for Palmer, and Ducky. And one for himself. After parking, and dropping their things in their rooms, they meet him in his room. He sits at a table, in the corner of the room. They all watch him, as he begins speaking.

"First of all I would like to say that the room assignments are non-negotiable."

"Gibbs..." Abby begins to argue.

"Abby, I don't want to hear it."

"Why are we here?" McGee queries.

"I know you are all wondering why I dragged you to Ohio, in the middle of February, to investigate a case. I think that all of you will want answers on this one, that's why I brought you here. Ducky, you'll access to the body first thing in the morning. McGee you and Abby will work on the car. Tony, Ziva, the two of you are well... I have plans for you."

"What are we investigating?" Abby quizzes.

"The death of Damon Werth."

A silence falls over the room. They all stare at him.

"He was killed in a car accident. Because of the work he was doing, the circumstances are being considered suspicious. That's all I know. Everyone should go to their room, and get some rest, it is going to be a long case."

Everyone begins to leave the room.

"Tony, Ziva, I need a moment alone, with the two of you."

"I'll just be, getting some ice," Ducky excuses himself.

Tony, and Ziva return to the table. "Have a seat," he instructs. They slide into seats on either side of him.

"The two of you, probably will not be getting any sleep."

"What does that mean?" Tony wonders.

"Damon had very specific instructions for the two of you. You will meet with his attorney, first thing in the morning. Then you have another pit stop that you will need to make."

"Gibbs, what is going on?" Ziva furrows her brow.

"Damon left something behind, for the two of you."

"What did he leave us?"

"The two of us?" Tony clarifies.

"Damon was involved with a Marine named Heidi Grammer. He met her, when he came here. She was deployed shortly after they met."

"We have to tell her?" Ziva assumes.

"No. Heidi was killed in combat, two weeks ago."

"What did he leave us? He left us a dog, didn't he?"

"No, DiNozzo. This is a lot more responsibility than a dog. You see, after Heidi was deployed she learned that she was pregnant. She came home for a few weeks, when the baby was born, but had to return."

They stare at him, with their mouths agape. Ziva is the first to comprehend, and verbalize what they have just learned.

"You are saying that Damon had a child? That he left that child, to Tony, and I?"

"Yes. That is what I am saying."

"Boss, are you sure?"

"Yes, her name is Marisa, and she is seven weeks old. You'll be picking her up, at nine tomorrow, after you meet with Damon's attorney."

"You're kidding right?"

"Does it look like I'm kidding, DiNozzo?"


	2. Chances Are

She rolls over in bed. She sighs, and takes a look at the clock next to her. It glares up at her, from a bedside table, between her bed, and Tony's.

He scoots down in the bed. He stares up the ceiling. He listens for a moment. He realizes that she isn't snoring.

"You aren't asleep, are you?" he questions.

"How could I be asleep? I have to figure out how to get along with you, for the rest of my life."

"We don't have to do this, if you don't want to."

"Tony if you want out, that is fine, but I am going to do this. I have to."

"I'm not going anywhere. How is this going to work? Tonight we are going to go to sleep, as Tony and Ziva, partners at NCIS. Tomorrow when we go to sleep we will be going to sleep as Tony, and Ziva, two people who have a child to raise together. We will be someone's parents. What would make him choose us, of all people?"

"He had no family."

"There had to be better candidates."

"I guess he saw something that we don't."

"I can understand why he chose you, but..."

"Tony, are you serious? You understand why he chose me?"

"You don't understand?"

"No."

"He chose you because you're a good person. You are tough, but you are nurturing. You are great with kids."

"I..."

"I am the disaster. Kids start crying the instant that my name is mentioned."

"You can't treat children like little adults, because they are not."

"Ziva... how are we going to do this? Logistically, it's a nightmare."

"You are going to have to give up your social life."

"Does that mean that you are going to do the same?"

"This is not a puppy that we are petsitting for the weekend. If we are going to do this, we need to be fully committed. We need to take it seriously. We are going to have to do things that we don't necessarily like."

"How? How are we going to do this?"

"I think that we should agree, that neither of us sees anyone for a few months, until we get settled into so sort of routine."

"Ok. Where do we start?"

"Everything is going to have to change, you realize that, right?"

"Yes, Ziva. Where will we live? Your place, or mine?"

"I have one bedroom."

"We should find a different place, one that is big enough, for all of us."

"Ok."

"But?"

"No but."

"And?"

"And we need to split the responsibility evenly."

"I don't want it to be an argument. We argue enough."

"We'll just try and go with the flow."

"This is so hard to wrap my head around."

"I know. We are being given a child."

"A little girl."

"I think that we should agree to treat her the same way we would, if she were our own."

"Meaning?"

"If in the future one, or both of us... become involved with someone else, and it becomes serious, if there is commitment involved..."

"You're rambling," she warns.

"If we can't live together, which I have a feeling, at some point will become a test of wills, we will do what is best for her. If we are apart, we split things evenly."

"Evenly?"

"In half."

"We cannot split her in half."

"We will split time evenly, expenses evenly, school functions, and holidays, evenly."

"I agree that time, and expenses should be split evenly."

"But?"

"We should both attend school functions, and we should both see her on holidays."

"I think that is fair."

"Tony?"

"Huh?"

"We should probably try to get some sleep," she suggests.

"Like that is going to happen."

"I'm sure that we have plenty of sleepless nights ahead of us."

"How are we going to go to work, if we have a kid, to take care of?"

"The same way that everyone else in the world does, hire someone to take care of her."

"Do you think that we should just go right back to work?"

"I don't think it would be wise, but you can if you want."

"You're not?"

"I have accrued a lot of comp time. I think that this would be a good time to use some of it. I mean... we are never going to be her biological parents..."

"But she's stuck with us, for the rest of her life," he finishes her sentence.

"We are the only parents she is ever going to know, the ones she's ever going to remember."

"So we should bond with her, like she's our own?"

"Yes."

"Ziva?"

"Huh?"

"Are you as terrified as I am, about this?"

"Which part?"

"There are so many, where do I start?"

"The fact that she is so small?"

"Or that she wears diapers?"

"Or that she might wake up in the middle of the night, and we won't hear her?"

"We might drop her," he adds.

"Or overfeed her."

"Or underfeed her."

"Or lose her."

"We might completely screw her up," he finalizes.

"Yes. I am," she finally answers.

"We'll get through it together."

"There is no other choice."

"Ziva?"

"Huh?"

"You know how to take care of a baby right?"

She chuckles, "I guess we'll see."


	3. Some People Change

They sit in an office. They stare at each other, as they hand an attorney signed papers. She smiles, and picks up her phone. She makes a short phone call. Moments later there is a knock on the door. A woman comes into the room. She places a car seat at their feet. Inside a little girl sleeps. She places a diaper bag next to it, and leaves the room.

"This is for you," the attorney hands them copies of the papers, and a manilla envelope.

Ziva takes the papers and the envelope from her.

"There are letters inside. There is also a key to Damon's apartment, so you can collect her things. Those papers are custody papers. Don't lose them. Inside the envelope are her birth certificate, and social security card. Any questions."

They both shake their heads.

"Then she's all yours."

They rise to their feet. Ziva reaches for the baby, Tony takes the carseat. They ride the elevator in silence. They reach the car, and Ziva climbs into the back seat, with the baby. She quickly fastens the carseat in.

"I'm glad that you know how to do that, because I have no clue how to," he comments from the driver's seat.

She stares at the peaceful baby, in the center of the backseat. The little girl's head is covered by a pink hat.

"Did you hear me?"

She looks up at the rearview mirror. "What were you saying?"

"It's not important."

"We should go get her things."

"Ziva?"

"Yes Tony?"

"I know that I haven't spent that much time around her, but... the name doesn't really seem to fit her. I mean who would saddle such a little girl, with such a long name? Marisa Elizabeth?"

"You know Marisa is Italian, and Elizabeth is Hebrew."

"You think she should go through her whole life being called Marisa?"

"What do you suggest we call her?"

"We could just use her initials, call her M.E."

"So when she goes to preschool and writes her name?"

"She'll only have two letter to write."

"Or, we call her Emmy, like the award."

"You have no other suggestions?"

"No."

"No objections?"

"No."

"We are actually agreeing on something?"

"Yes."

"Ok."

"You should probably do the driving from now on."

"Why is that?"

"I don't want to kill any of us."

"You just need to practice."

"Not killing any of us?"

"Driving safely."

"I will try, but not with her in the car."

"I'm getting hungry, how about you?"

"You just ate before we left the hotel."

"That was so long ago," he whines.

"I wonder if I could get her on your schedule."

"What schedule?"

"Your meal schedule. It seems like you need to eat every couple of hours, maybe we could sync her to the same schedule."

"She's not an ipod," he reminds her.

"I could probably use some caffeine, she'll probably be up all night."

"So wake her up now."

"Are you going to turn on the car, anytime soon?"

"Yes, but can we stop on the way?"

"If we must."

When they arrive at the apartment they head straight into the baby's room. Ziva hands Tony a pile of Extra-Large evidence bags. He takes them from her.

"Why do I have to pack everything?"

"I am holding the baby."

"Right."

She watches as he empties things into the bags. First he puts books into a bag. Then he moves on to the dresser. He empties the top drawer of blankets, and cloth diapers. He moves onto the second drawer, emptying it of onesies, and socks. In the third drawer he finds pink clothes. He uses a new back for each drawer. He pulls open the bottom drawer, and empties more tiny, girly, items of clothing into the bag. He moves onto the changing table, and removes diapers, wipes, baby lotion, baby powder, and diaper rash cream. He empties pacifiers, and miscellaneous items into the final bag. Ziva comes in from the kitchen with bottles, and formula. They pile their findings on the couch. The move onto the bathroom. They find a baby bathtub, baby towels, baby wash cloths, and baby soap, and shampoo. Ziva opens the closet by the door, and finds a stroller. Tony pops it open, and piles all of the stuff into it. They return to the car. He loads the stuff into the trunk. She climbs into the backseat, with the baby.

He backs out of the parking space, and drives through the parking lot.

"You're being awfully quiet."

He gets to response.

"Ziva?"

"You're talking to me?"

"You are the only one who can respond to me."

She doesn't reply. She stares at the letter from Damon. She reads it silently.

_Ziva,_

_I know that this is unexpected. I hope that you understand why I chose you. I trust you. Take good care of her, she means everything to me. I know that you are probably not happy, about doing this with Tony, but it is the best thing._

_Maybe you can't see it yet, but the two of you have something special. Don't push him away. He's a good guy._

_Damon._

Tony dials Gibbs.

"Gibbs."

"Boss we just picked up the baby, and her stuff, do you want us to meet you at the crime scene?"

"No, DiNozzo, I want you to go back to the hotel."

"And do what?"

"Pack your stuff. The two of you are heading back to D.C."

"What about the investigation?"

"I've got it handled. You and Ziva take the baby, and go home."

"But..."

"No arguments DiNozzo."


	4. Never Say Never

She rolls over, and opens her eyes. She looks around the room. She sees the dirty socks on the floor, and instantly remembers where she is. How had he convinced her that his apartment would be the better temporary choice? How had they agreed to sleep in the same bed?

He lies the opposite side of the bed. He lays on his back, with a sleeping baby on his chest. She props her head up on her palm. She watches as his chest rises and falls. She carefully rolls in the opposite direction, and grabs the camera off the bedside stand. She makes sure to turn the flash off, and then snaps a picture. She returns the camera to its resting spot, and climbs out of bed.

She walks around to the other side. She stares at a pair of eyes. Heavy lids blink at her.

"Are you awake?" she questions softly.

The little girl yawns in response.

"Good morning," she smiles at the baby. She gently removes the baby from Tony's chest. She stares at the sheepish baby, as she holds her in her arms. She turns, to leave the bedroom. She feels a fingers digging into the back of her pant leg.

"Let go!" she insists.

"Go back to sleep. It's my turn," he argues.

"Maybe, so, but I'm already up," she says walking towards the door.

"Zi..."

"You can have the diaper change," she offers.

"Let me do this," he stops her in the doorway.

She concedes, placing the baby in his arms. She slinks off to the bathroom, for a shower, sulking. When she gets out of the shower, she finds Tony changing the baby's diaper.

"Are you almost ready to go?" he questions as he dresses the baby.

"Go where?"

"We have an appointment with the realtor."

"The realtor? Tony..."

"Do you really want to spend another night in this apartment, in my bed?"

"Not particularly, you snore."

"Then we need to find a bigger place."

"Why did he think that we could handle this? I mean he left us a child."

"Maybe he knew something that we didn't."

"Maybe," she agrees.

"So what do you think, does she look presentable enough to go out?"

"She's a baby."

"Is what she's wearing ok?"

"For what?'

"With you?"

"Yes, it's fine. Why wouldn't it be?"

"Because I can't seem to do anything right."

"I am... I'm sorry."

"Zi?"

"Yes?"

"Does this freak you out?"

"What?"

"That we have to raise a child together?"

"This is not what I had in mind."

"What do you mean?"

"This is not how I envisioned becoming a parent."

"Parent... why does that sound like a dirty word right now?"

"Because now it applies to us. We are someone's parents."

"Together."

She nods, "Yes, that is scary."

"You think that we're going to screw her up?"

"Probably. I mean we aren't exactly normal people."

"No."

"And this is not a conventional..."

"When have either of us been conventional?"

"How are we going to do this? I mean we haven't really talked about it."

"We did. We are going to have to find a bigger place, and sort things out from there."

"But neither of us wants to talk about this, so how are we going to do that?"

"We do it now."

"Do what now?"

"Talk about it."

"You are willing to talk about it, now?"

"Yes."

"We are partners," she starts off.

"Yes."

"We work together every single day. Raising a child together, that complicates things."

"Yes, I agree."

"So how do we keep this from affecting our professional relationship?"

"I don't think that we can. It isn't like we are going to be able to go to work, and turn this off. You can't turn it off. Her name is going to pop up in conversation. I think that we need to face the fact that things are going to change."

"Are you really willing to change, as much as you are going to have to?"

"What do you mean, Zi?"

"Even after we get settled, I don't think that it is a good idea for you to parade a bunch of women..."

He cuts her off, "You would be jealous."

"We have always made our choices based on what we want, but now we have a child to think of."

"We're going to have to adapt," he agrees.

"There are a lot of things that we need to do before we go back to work."

"Tony it isn't just about that. It is about the changes we are going to have to make to."

"What changes are you referring to, specifically?"

"You don't think that raising a child together is going to change our relationship."

"I guess I hadn't really thought about it."

"Well you should."

"We have to find a place, and a nanny, and coordinate schedules, and..."

She cuts him off, "How?"

"We're both new to this. We are both going to make mistakes."

"How do we make it work?"

He smiles, "The same way we always do. A little give, and take."


	5. Coming Home

"I don't even know what you expect."

"Expect from what?"

"For her. If we don't have the same picture of how we want things to be for her how are we going to make..."

He cuts her off, "I want her to have a normal childhood. One where she has to parents. One where she comes first. I want to her to be happy, and care free."

"I want that too. I want her to play with dolls, and climb trees. I want her to be whatever she wants to be. I want..."

"I think that there is a possibility we need to discuss," Tony realizes.

"Damon picked the two of us to raise her. Not the two of us, and who ever we may or may not be involved with in the future."

"What are you suggesting?"

"He wanted us to be her family. For some reason he thought that we could give her something he couldn't."

"Oh," she realizes where he is going with this.

"Tell me, if you think that I am being crazy."

"No, I don't."

"You know what I am suggesting?"

"Yes," she nods.

"You don't seem upset."

"Because it is probably the only way that it will ever work."

"You're really willing to do that?"

"Give it all up, for her?"

"You don't have to," he reminds her.

"Yes, we do."

"But you realize that..."

"I am going to be stuck with you, for the rest of my life, or at least until she is grown? Yes I understand that."

He stares into her big brown orbs, "Zi, tell me what you're thinking."

"You are my partner. When I pictured having a family of my own... this wasn't it. Then again, things don't usually end up the way that I picture them."

"We'll move in together?"

"Yes," she nods.

"To where?"

She shrugs, "Somewhere with a tree in the back yard?"

"Yeah, I think you're right."

"I am always going to want to be your partner. You are the best partner I've ever had."

"I'm the only partner you've ever had. You have nothing to compare it to."

"I do not want to have to give you up, as my partner."

"We should talk to Gibbs."

"Yes," she nods.

"Ziva?"

"I think that we should explore the possibility that..."

"That what?"

"We are agreeing that for the next eighteen years there will be no one else. That is a long time. If we spend every single hour of every day together things are going to happen. It is inevitable that we will..."

"Yes, it is," she agrees.

"You're sure about this?"

"You didn't really have to ask."

"You are far less upset about this, than I anticipated."

"You are not so bad."

"I'm not so bad? That's all you have to say?"

"The world would not end, if we became more than partners."

"Partners with benefits, and a baby? That's a new one."

"You are talking about sex, and... I am not, at least not entirely."

"Excuse me?"

"Did you mean what you said?"

"When? I say a lot of things."

"In Somalia."

"I said a lot of things, in Somalia."

"You know what I am talking about."

"Yes."

"Yes you know what I'm talking about, or yes you meant it?"

"Both."

"So why has it taken so long for either of us to talk about it?"

"The truth isn't always easy to deal with."

"No, it's not."

"We should get going," he reminds her.

"Yes," she nods, "We should."

Three hours later they find themselves in a house in Southeast D.C. about twenty minutes from the Navy Yard. Eight minutes the way Ziva drove. Tony turns to the real estate agent, "Can you give us a minute?"

She nods, and steps outside onto the porch. Tony looks at the baby, who is asleep in her car seat, on the kitchen counter. Ziva looks out the glass doors, to the tiny backyard.

"So what do you think?" he questions.

"It is close to work," she admits.

"Zi, I'm going to need more than that."

She turns, and looks at him, "It's big. What do we need so many bedrooms for? There are four bedrooms."

"You have hated every single place we've looked at so far."

"We've only seen five places."

"We don't have the time to be picky."

"I know."

"And it's been on the market for a long time. If we buy it, we're going to get a good deal."

"I know."

"If you don't want to do this we'll just go back to my apartment. I am sure that in my building, or yours there is a bigger apartment available. Of course it would be cheaper to live here, but..."

He watches her, as her eyes land on the sleeping baby. She moves away from the door, and goes over to the counter.

"I hope that you aren't expecting her to give you advice," Tony jokes.

"I..."

"If you're not ready to do this, we don't have to."

She spins around, and looks at him. "There is a tree in the backyard."

"Yeah, it takes up almost the whole thing."

"Stupid tree."

"Stupid tree? Why is it a stupid tree? Because you can see her in that stupid tree, when she's five, or six?"

Her eyes flicker, they land on him. She looks into his eyes. Finally she answers, "Yes. You should go get the Candi."

"Candi?"

"The real estate agent. Have her start the paperwork."


	6. Everything Changes

He finally unpacks the last box, in his bedroom. He had given her the master bedroom, the one with the bathroom, and the humongous closet. He had taken the room at the other end of the hall. It was large, and close to the baby's room. He tosses the last pillow onto his bed, and wonders down the hall to find her. She had unpacked all of her things in record time. It was obvious that she was a pro at packing, and unpacking. After all, it had only taken her two hours to pack up everything in her entire apartment. It took him eight. The last time he had seen her she was in the nursery, unpacking Emmy's things. That had been an hour ago, he hadn't heard a peep from her since. He heads down the hall.

Two doors away he finds the nursery. The light is on. He stands in the doorway. He finds that everything is in it's place. He smiles when he sees her. She lies on the rug, in the center of the room. The baby rests on her chest. He watches as her chest rises and falls. He taps her barefoot with his boot.

"Zi, wake up."

Her eyes open, and look up at him. She places her hands on her chest, and sits up. She skillfully rises to her feet. She takes a few steps to the crib. She places the sleeping baby inside.

"So did you have a good nap?"

"I guess."

"Hungry?"

"Yes," she nods.

"Pizza?"

"That will work."

"It will have to, since we have no food in the cabinet."

"Should I call, or are you going to."

"I'll call. You want the usual."

She nods.

Half an hour later they sit in the kitchen, at the table, eating pizza off paper towels. He swallows, and then asks.

"How is it that everything is unpacked, but the dishes?"

"We decided that they weren't that important."

"Why did we decide that?" he wonders.

"Because Emmy had just fallen asleep, and we didn't want to wake her up, by banging dishes, and pots, and pans."

"I can't believe that you fell asleep."

"I wasn't asleep, I was just resting my eyes."

"Ziva, you were snoring."

"I was not," she argues.

"Ok, you weren't, but you were asleep."

"I guess that I must have dozed off, for a minute."

"Probably because you refused to sleep any, last night. You don't have to get up with her every time. I am more than willing to get up with her."

"You get cranky."

"I'll get over it."

"I do not like to deal with you when you're cranky."

"And why is that, exactly?"

"Because then it's like having to take care of two children."

"Ow, that hurt."

"It's the truth."

"Yes, and sometimes the truth hurts."

"We need to go grocery shopping," she points out.

"Tonight?" he responds with a sense of alarm, in his voice.

"No. It can wait, until tomorrow. I can go, you don't have to come with me."

"Why don't you get up and go for a run? I'll wake up with the baby, and..."

"Are you trying to get rid of me?"

"No, I just thought you'd like to go for a run."

"Ok. When I get back, I'll change, and go to the store."

"We're going to need more diapers."

"I know."

"How can something so small, poop, so much?"

"Are we really sitting around the dinner table, talking about poop?"

He smiles, "I guess that we are."

"You do realize that you haven't hooked up the TV yet, right?"

"Yes Ziva, I know."

"I just assumed that you would want to watch it."

"I do, but I'm too tired tonight, to worry about it."

"You don't know where you put all the wires, do you?"

"I think that I do."

"Think?"

"There are only like six unpacked boxes left, they can't be that hard to find."

"Six?" she furrows her brow.

"There are more than six?"

"There might only be six unopened ones in the house, but there are at least six more, in the garage."

"Boxes of what? I didn't think we had that much stuff."

"I don't," she responds.

"Oh, and I do?"

"You have a box an a half of toiletries. And there are three boxes of mismatched dishes. And a box of miscellaneous items. Those are all yours."

"Half of them are mine," he argues.

"I have a box of dishes, and a box of pots, and pans. The rest, the other ten, are yours."

"I can't possibly have that much stuff."

"You do."

"What could possibly be in there?"

"I don't know. I wasn't there, when you packed."

"Thanks by the way."

"For what?"

"Leaving me alone, to pack."

"You're upset about me leaving you alone to pack? I had Emmy with me, when I packed."

"It's not like she's that much of a..."

She cuts him off, "She wouldn't let me put her down. Do you know how hard it is to pack things, when you are carrying around a baby?""No. Ziva?"

"Huh?"

"Are we going to argue like this, everyday?"

Before she can answer, the baby starts crying. She rolls her eyes, and pushes her chair out. She walks past him, and races up the stairs, into the baby's room.


	7. All The Right Moves

She rolls over, and throws the pillow at the door. Outside her window she can see that it is pitch black outside. She rolls over, in an attempt to go back to sleep. The bedroom door opens, and the screaming comes towards her. She opens her eyes, and sees a tall figure next to her bed.

"What are you doing in here?" she yawns.

"I can't get her to go to sleep. She likes you better. What do you do, to make her stop crying?"

"Give her to me," she insists.

He places the baby in her arms. "Shh!" she whispers, rubbing circles around the little girl's head. The little girl immediately stops crying. Ziva lays back down, and places the baby on her chest. She pats her back.

"I'm going to bed now."

"Not so fast," Ziva hisses.

"Why not? You've got her calmed down. She's asleep."

"This is your night."

"What do you want me to do? If I take her back to her crib she'll just start crying again. You're better at this than I am."

"I am exhausted."

"So what are you proposing, then?"

"Lay down."

"Where?"

"In here. Then you can get up with her."

"You want me to sleep in here? On the floor?"

"No, you don't have to sleep on the floor."

"There aren't a whole lot of other options. I can sleep in the bathtub."

"I don't care where you sleep, just lay down."

"I..."

"Get in bed!" she barks.

He scurries around to the other side, and climbs in next to her.

"You know," he whispers, "this isn't normal. We can't all sleep together every night. If this is how it's going to be every night there was no point in moving. We can all fit in one bed."

"But all of our stuff didn't fit."

"How did she get so much stuff?"

"Please stop asking questions, and go to sleep, before I have to knock you out."

"Ok," he rolls over, and stops talking.

He wakes up with a drool stain on his shirt. He opens his eyes, and finds Emmy asleep on his chest. He looks over, and finds that Ziva is gone. He begins to panic. She left him alone, with a baby, who didn't particularly care for him. This could be bad. What was going to happen, if she woke up. She would want Ziva. He looks at the sleeping baby. He listens to her breathing. Then he hears something else.

The shower. She hadn't gone anywhere. She was in the shower. He closes his eyes, and relaxes, in hopes of going back to sleep. The shower turns off, and the door opens. He opens his eyes. He quickly looks away.

"Ziva where is your towel?"

"Why are you awake? I thought you were still asleep."

"Ziva you're naked."

"That is because I can't find any towels."

"You have boxes of towels. Why can't you find any?" he questions with his eyes tightly closed.

"I can't find any of them. I don't know where you put them."

"I'll go find them," he offers.

"Do you know where you put them?"

"Yes."

"You should probably open your eyes," she tells him.

He opens his eyes, and looks at her. He keeps his eyes on her face. He climbs out of her bed, and walks away. He carries the baby into her room, and puts her down in the crib. He goes into his room, and grabs the laundry basket. He carries it back to her room. He pushes the door open, and covers his eyes with his hand, as he walks into her room.

"Where are you."

"Stop being ridiculous. Just give me a towel."

He opens his eyes. He sits the basket on her bed, and tosses a towel at her. She wraps it around her body. He throws her another one, for her hair. His eyes remained fixed on her.

"What? You see something you like? Why are you staring?"

"I had forgotten about your tattoo," he admits.

"Oh boy, here we go again. Do you happen to know where my hair dryer is?"

"It's under the sink, where you told me to put it. I should go check on the baby."

"You should probably go take a cold shower first," she tells him.

He nods, "Yeah, probably," and walks away. He leaves the room. He heads down the hallway to his bathroom. He grabs a pair of clean boxer shorts on his way.

When he is done with his shower he turns it off. He pushes the shower curtain back, and climbs out. He finds that there isn't a towel on the hook on the wall. He walks over to the cabinet, and finds it empty. The light bulb goes off. All of the towels had to be washed. They were used to wrap breakables. Ziva's towels were in the basket, and so were his. His towels were in the basket, in her room. He opens the door a crack. He looks down the hallway, and sees nothing. By now she would be dressed. She wouldn't be in her room.

He pushes the door open, and makes a break for it. As he walks past the baby's room he realizes the door is open. He walks past, hoping Ziva hasn't seen him. He makes it to her bedroom, to find that the basket of towels is gone.

"Ziva?" he calls out.

"What?" she calls from the baby's room.

He leaves her room, and heads for the nursery. He pokes his head in, but keeps his body behind the wall.

"We have a little situation."

She smiles from the corner of the room. She sits on the chair, folding towels.

"Let me guess, I have all the towels?"

"Uh huh."

She throws one towards him, but it falls short. He glares at her. She was a good shot. She never missed. This was intentional.

"Really?"

"Just come and get it."

"I..."

"Tony, Emmy is asleep. I can't really get up, when she's on my lap, can I?"

He groans, and pushes the door open. He grabs the towel off the floor, and wraps it around his waist.

"You did it on purpose. You knew you had all of the towels. You knew that I needed one. You could have just dropped one in the bathroom, put one on the knob of the bathroom door, but you didn't. This is clearly payback."

She smiles, and then begins laughing, "Clearly. Or, maybe I just wanted to see you naked," she teases.


	8. We've Got Tonight

She gets up, and walks towards him. She stops in front of him, for a brief second. She takes a step to her left, and puts the baby into her crib. She peers in the crib, at the sleeping baby, for a moment. She then refocuses on her partner, who is standing in front of her, in nothing but a towel. There was no way she could resist having a little fun. She points to the door.

"Go on. I don't want to wake her up."

He walks out of the room, she follows. She closes the door behind them, leaving it cracked, so they can hear the baby, if she cries. He stands in the hallway, and just looks at her.

"I should go get dressed," he insists.

"Why?"

"I'm just wearing a towel."

"I can fix that, if you'd like."

"Ziva, I don't feel like playing games, right now."

"Who says that I am playing games?"

"I know that I'm your partner, and that we are living together, and raising a child together..."

"And we have committed to not seeing anyone else for a while."

"And?"

"That is not going to work well, if you do not cooperate."

"What do you mean?"

"I do not like being frustrated. I am very cranky when I am frustrated."

"You can't be serious."

"Why not? Are you really telling me that you have never thought about it?"

"Of course I have."

"I am giving you the opportunity. I suggest that you take it."

"I... I don't know what to say."

"If I were in your position, I would say yes."

"And why is that?"

"I can make your life a living hell," she reminds him.

"You wouldn't do that."

"I wouldn't?"

"Ziva, what has gotten into you? You are not usually this manipulative."

"I am not used to... can you please just to this, for me?"

"You want me to have sex with you?"

"Yes."

"I can't."

"Why not?"

"You're my partner."

"And?"

"I don't want to complicate things."

"Things are already complicated. We are living under one roof, with a baby. A baby that we have committed to raising together, as our own. How much more complicated can it possibly get?"

"Ziva I just don't want you to think..."

She cuts him off, "Whoa! I hope that you're not worried about my emotional status. This has nothing to do with emotions. This is purely... something else."

"You can't possibly need sex, that badly."

"Says the man who is standing around in a towel. Whose thoughts are completely obvious right now."

"I am telling you no."

"Then I'll leave you alone," she stomps off, into her room, slamming the door behind her. The sound of the door wakes the baby. She begins wailing. Ziva rolls her eyes, and comes out of her room. She stomps past Tony, and goes into the baby's room.

She sits on the couch, biting her nails. He walks up behind the couch, with the baby in his arms.

"What's for dinner?" he asks.

"I don't know? Do you have two hands?"

"Yes."

"Then make yourself something."

"My hands are kind of full right now."

She looks up at him. "Figure it out," she says coldly.

He huffs, and makes his way into the kitchen, with the baby in his arms. She looks at him, as he stands in front of the fridge.

"I know. She's grumpy."

"You better not be standing in front of the refrigerator with the door open," Ziva warns from the other room.

"So what if I am?"

"Then you will be the one paying the electric bill."

"You are crabby."

"And you're a needy, child," she counters.

He closes the refrigerator door. He walks out of the kitchen, towards the staircase.

"Where are you going?" she calls after him.

"To put her to sleep."

"I thought that you were hungry."

"I have other things I need to take care of, first."

"Whatever," she sighs.

He reaches the nursery, and pushes the door open. He places Emmy in her crib. He looks at the lethargic baby. She looks up at him, with heavy eyelids.

"I'm sorry we fight so much. It's just what we do. I am going to try and fix it. In order for me to do that, though, I need you to go to sleep, ok?"

She closes her eyes. He turns out the light, and backs out of the room. He quietly walks down the hallway, to the stairs. He jogs down the stairs, into the living room. He stops in front of the couch. His partner just looks at him.

"What?" she responds, with her arms crossed over her chest.

"I can't believe you."

"What are you referring to?"

"Is that what you would be wearing at home?"

"I am home."

"If I wasn't here?"

"What is wrong with what I am wearing?"

"Your NCIS sweatpants, and an NCIS t-shirt, to bed? Do you really wear that to bed?"

"Sometimes."

"I find that hard to believe."

"What do you want me to say? Is there something I could say that would make it more believable?"

"Tell me that you're at least wearing a thong, or..."

"No, I'm not."

"Granny panties?" he guesses.

"No. Clearly you know nothing about my choice in underwear."

"String bikinis then?"

"Not right now."

"What's left? Boxer briefs?"

"You're going the wrong direction.""The wrong direction? What do you mean?"

"Less fabric, not more?"

"Less than what?"

She scowls at him.

"Oh, commando?"

"Maybe," she shrugs, "I guess you'll never know."

"I fully intend to find out."

"Really, and how is that?"

"Can we just get this over with? Please?"

"No."

"No? You're the one who wanted to do this."

"I'm over it."

"No, you're not."

"Maybe I'm not, but I think that you are too scared to do anything about it."

"I am not."

"Aren't you afraid that you'll wake the baby?"

"Your room is soundproof."

"So?"

"I think that it will be ok."

"I..." before she can argue he grabs her hand, and pulls her off the couch. He drags her towards the stair case.


	9. Another Side Of You

She opens her eyes, and finds herself alone in bed. She was alone in bed, naked. Obviously she had won. Had he really snuck out? To avoid the walk of shame? From her room to his? Was he in his bed, asleep? She hears footsteps coming down the hall, towards her.

He pushes the door open, and tiptoes back into the room. He climbs back into bed. She rolls over, towards him.

"You're awake, aren't you?" he senses her eyes staring at him, in the dark.

"Yes. Where did you go?"

"To feed the baby. I didn't want to wake you up."

"Oh."

"Do you want me to go to my own bed? I can, if you want. I just thought it might be awkward. I mean we live together, we had sex, and I slip out in the middle of the night."

"I am not really a fan of cuddling."

"That's what you think."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"When I woke up you had your arm wrapped around me."

"I did not mean to."

"Ziva?"

"Huh?"

"Do you really think that this is going to work?"

"Raising a child, together?'

"Raising a child, being partners, with benefits. Do you really think that we can do all of that, without developing some sort of feelings for each other."

"No, I am not that naive."

"So..."

"She comes first. That is all I know. The rest will just have to wait."

"For how long?"

"Until she doesn't need us anymore."

"You mean forever? She is always going to need us."

"We can't..."

"You won't," he corrects her.

"My feelings for you... they are not important, right now."

"Feelings? What feelings."

"The ones I have."

"You have feelings? For me?"

"Maybe. Go back to sleep."

He rolls towards her. He scoots next to her. He wraps his arm around her. She doesn't squirm, or protest. She closes her eyes. He closes his eyes and whispers, "The feelings are mutual." Her eyes pop open. Twenty minutes later he is sound asleep. She is wide awake. She stares at the clock. She could get up now. It was late enough. She carefully slips out from under his arm. She pulls on her panties. She slips his button down, on. She tiptoes out of the room.

She walks down the hallway. She stops in the doorway of the nursery. She listens closely, as the baby sleeps. She wanders into the room. She stops at the crib. She looks inside. Emmy sleeps soundly. Ziva retreats to the rocking chair, in the corner of the room. She sits in silence. She stares at the crib.

_Was this her life? An instant family. A baby. A partner. Her partner. What had they just done? Maybe this was a bad idea. Maybe this was too much. Soon they would go back to work. She would leave the baby. Their baby. No, it wasn't their baby. Not biologically. Then why did she like the sound of it, so much? Their baby. Their house. Their life. They were sharing a life. They were sharing a bed. Was that enough? Was it naive to think that it could work out? Of course, there was no such thing as happily ever after. This wasn't a fairytale. There would be no storybook ending. They would probably end up hating each other. They would be bitter, and divorced. Divorced? Where did that come from? They weren't married. So why would they be divorced? That would require marriage, first. Marriage? To Tony? To her partner? Maybe she was just sleep deprived. _She rocks back and forth in the chair, until she falls asleep.

When she opens her eyes, she realizes that she is not alone. She looks around the room. She finds Tony, standing next to the crib. He holds Emmy in his arms. He stares at her, in amazement. He talks to her softly.

"So, Emmy, what do you want to do to day? I know. You're a baby; you don't do much. Eat, and sleep, and poop. That sounds like a pretty good day. A boring day, though. What am I going to do, while you're sleeping the day away? Do you have any suggestions? Maybe if sleeping beauty would ever wake up, we could go do something. Maybe she should sleep in the rocking chair every night. She doesn't snore, when she's in the rocking chair. Or, maybe she's just too exhausted to snore. You're a lot of work. So are we doing ok, so far?  
Listen, I know that you had a dad. I know you had a mom, too. They're gone. I was hoping maybe, we would be ok. I'm sure that we'll make a lot of mistakes. Promise me, you'll love us anyway. We love you, your mommy, and me. You can call me dad, or daddy, I guess. It's up to you, really. Just remember, you have to say my name first. Ok? I think that it's funny when you're mom gets irritated. There is this vein, in her forehead, that throbs, when she's mad. Her eyes gloss over, and her face turns red. I've seen you make the same face. Of course you make it because you have to poop, not because you're irritated. Maybe she does it for the same reason. Do you think we should be worried? Maybe she's constipated."

"Tony, she can't answer you."

"Oh," he turns and looks at her, "You're awake?"

"I've been awake long enough to hear your rambling."

"She likes it."

"Just because she can't tell you otherwise, does not mean that she likes it."

"She is the only one who listens to me, without interrupting. She likes the sound of my voice, it puts her to sleep, see."

"Tony, we need to talk."

"About last night? Is this where you tell me that it can't happen again? We can't cross the line in the sand? We'll get too involved. Our feelings will tangle us in a web we can't get out of. We'll end up bitter, and divorced," he looks at her, in bewilderment, as the words tumble from his mouth.

She looks at him, and smiles.

"Why are you smiling? Is this where you kill me?"

She shakes her head, "No. It's nice to know that I am not the only one thinking it."

"Thinking what?"

"Bitter, and divorced."

"We'd have to be married first. That is never going to happen."

"Because of your commitment issues?"

"Because of yours," he retorts.


End file.
